reintroduction Day 31 = Husband's Birthday!

[Andicase]

Our first day after completing our Whole30 is my husband's birthday.  I've managed to convince him to have a wonderful dinner at home (you know - give yourself the gift of health!), but he has asked for two things:  beer or wine, and ice cream.  I read the reintroduction in It Start with Food and had planned to follow it, except these two requests throw a curveball into the plan. Thoughts on keeping it a Whole30 day and then for dinner adding the alcohol and then having coconut milk ice cream?  We'd have to watch the flavors and other mix-ins here, but figured it was better than dairy options.  I was thinking I could then do the next two days Whole30 and get back on the regular reintroduction plan.  We had such a successful 30 days, I just want to do my best to keep us on a good track!  TIA

[Tarrantrl]

So you and your husband did the whole30 together I take it? My thoughts on this are that you don't have to do the same thing he does. Just because he wants ice cream and alcohol doesn't mean you need to have both with him. I'd go with the alcohol option for your reintro (since it's already the optional first thing to reintroduce), but look out for beer because of the gluten. A wine that you like would be a great idea. I'd say avoid the ice cream if you can, and if he really wants to have a non-dairy ice cream for his birthday just look out for the ingredients (you don't want to accidentally get corn or soy products while trying to avoid dairy). But if you've never had coconut milk ice cream before, it may be a let down if it tastes significantly different. And although it's ok to relax on the added sugar rule in items like sausage and ketchup once you start reintroduction, a big sugar hit like ice cream (even coconut) could have its own effects that you won't be able to separate from the alcohol if you have both. 

My birthday is in early January so I often have eliminated one thing or the other for new year's resolutions, and it's really not that bad to skip the treats on your birthday. I celebrate in other ways by having a good steak and hanging out with my family (and sometimes I'll have blueberries with coconut cream as my "treat"). I don't know when your husband's birthday is/was though; did it already happen? If so, what did you decide to do?